Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
She wove her way through the crowd and met us at the back of the room, then gestured subtly to me that we follow her, out through the door of the large ballroom.
‘Goodness, maid. You almost gave me a ’eart attack when I saw you up on the stage!
’ She exclaimed in a half whisper and reached out for me, enveloping me in her arms tightly.
‘Oh, Tegan. I ’ardly know what to say, I’m so befuddled!
I hoped I might one day meet you ’ere, but it’s never ’appened. I didn’t know it was possible.’
The shock of seeing Aunt Bill again was so sudden that I felt faint. I forgot how to breathe, and was relieved that she’d hugged me, otherwise I thought I might have fallen over.
I had spent months trying to get back home.
I had spent so long yearning for my aunt and her cottage – to feel safe again, grounded and protected, no longer having to worry about being so totally out of my usual world – that I could hardly take in the fact she was here.
She was real. I could smell her hair; rest my head on her shoulder.
‘Aunt Bill?’ I disengaged myself from the hug and stared at her. ‘Is it really you?’
She hugged me tightly again and planted a fervent kiss on my cheek.
‘Course it is, you silly wench! I’m as real as you are. More real, cos I’m fatter. My, my. I cannot believe I’m seein’ your dear face again. This ’as never ’appened.’ She looked as shocked as I felt.
‘Come on. Let’s find a quiet spot.’ Aunt Bill cast a wary eye at a couple of passing maids, who had cast a suspicious glance or two our way.
She took my hand and pulled me into a nearby doorway.
William followed. Inside, we found ourselves in a small library-cum-smoking room.
I didn’t remember seeing it when I’d been at Trevarron before, but I reminded myself that this was a hundred years or more later.
Things changed. ‘Now we can speak more freely. No one’ll come in ’ere while the party’s ragin’.
’ Aunt Bill rolled her eyes. ‘I tell you, these rich Victorians. They never met a bottle o’ wine they didn’t like.
Or a fancy cake. You should see what come out o’ the kitchen for one small girl’s twelfth birthday. Madness.’
‘Now then.’ Aunt Bill exhaled, and bent over for a moment, resting her hands on her thighs and taking in a deep breath.
‘Dear Lord, I just ’ave to take a moment, as they say.
That was quite the shock, seein’ you onstage.
’ She stood upright again and took my face in her hands.
‘Tegan! ’Ow did you get ’ere? Well, I can guess, of course. Oh, I’m blatherin’.’
She looked up at William with one of her kooky stares, with one eye closed and a half grin.
‘And ’ooo, exactly, is this?’ She looked at him closely, and then stepped back a little.
‘William De Vere Trevarron, as I lives an’ breathes.
Done all right for yourself, little miss.
’ She dug me in the ribs with her elbow.
‘At your service, milady.’ William bowed, though I could see he was confused by what was going on.
‘You know William?’ I was now totally taken aback. ‘How?’
‘Seen ’is picture in the ’ouse, silly.’ She tutted.
‘Not now, of course, but previously, there used to be a portrait up on the stairs. Course, Favisham took them all down, when you’d gone.
Never visited when you was lord, milord, but that was a relatively small time period, what with the fact you disappeared.
’ She turned to me. ‘Don’t you remember me tellin’ you the story, when you were a girl? ’
‘I do remember. But I didn’t remember you saying that was who it was, specifically.’
‘Hm. Maybe I didn’t. But it was always intriguin’, what ’appened to the disappearin’ Lord of Trevarron. Now I know.’ She raised an eyebrow archly. ‘You ’appened, you little minx.’
‘Well, that’s not exactly it!’ I protested.
‘Hm. You got William De Vere Trevarron ’ere on the stage with you, singin’ like a nightingale, makin’ goo-goo eyes at you.
’ My aunt chuckled. ‘No offence, milord.’ She nodded to William, who looked bemused.
‘Seems like the mystery’s solved to me. I always wondered if ’is disappearance was related to the time portal.
I was right, but that was only one side o’ the coin, wasn’t it, my lovely? ’
‘I suppose so,’ I said.
‘This is your aunt?’ William asked. ‘The one that lived in Nancy’s cottage?’
‘Yes. This is my aunt Bill.’ I cleared my throat. Reality still seemed very shaky. My heart was pounding, so I leaned against a nearby table. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘I can, my duck. But I didn’t know when it would ’appen. I must say I’m delighted to see you,’ Aunt Bill said.
‘I found your letter, from before…. When I was here in 1755.’ I wanted to tell her everything, but I didn’t know where to begin.
‘Aunt Bill. How are you here?’ I squealed.
‘It’s so good to see you!’ I hugged her again.
Part of me had given up on the idea that I’d ever see my aunt again and the reality of seeing her, fully three-dimensional, in front of me, was almost too much to take in. She grinned and hugged me back.
‘Time traveller, just like you. You got my letter?’ My aunt grinned. ‘Aha! The system works!’
‘What system?’ I lowered my voice.
‘I ’ad the inkling you were goin’ to discover the rose garden; I’d never said anythin’ to you about all o’ this.
I promised your mum, an’ I know it’s dangerous.
I wasn’t sure if you’d want to travel through time, like I ’ave.
Takes a toll.’ She sighed. ‘However, I thought, if you make it ’ere of your own account, an’ I leave you somethin’ – if you find it, then it’s meant to be.
So I wrote you that letter an’ hid it. Took a chance. ’
‘That was a pretty big gamble. Of all the places in the house, you hid it in the room that was my bedroom, as a lady’s maid,’ I said. ‘How did you know to leave it there?’
‘I didn’t, maid. That was my bedroom.’ Aunt Bill gave me a knowing smile.
‘Your bedroom?’ I echoed. ‘You stayed there?’
‘I did. When I came to Trevarron the second time, I was a ’ousekeeper.
They gave me that room.’ She chuckled at my expression.
‘’Tis true! ’Ousekeeper, in a place like this, it’s quite a senior role.
This was before your time, milord,’ she added, to William, who looked totally mystified.
‘This time, I’m a governess for young Violet.
’ She nodded. ‘Havin’ an education, as a woman, that’s quite useful in the past, as it turns out. ’
‘You’re… Violet Trevarron’s governess?’ I was aware that I was repeating more or less everything that my aunt said, but it was a lot to take in. My heart was starting to return to its normal rhythm, but I felt as though it wouldn’t take much for it to race again.
‘That’s right, maid. I learnt after my first travel that I should ’ave a backstory for when I’m comin’ to the ’ouse.
Best thing to do is pose as the ’elp, like you did.
’ She nodded. ‘I tried passin’ myself off as a visitin’ noblewoman, but it didn’t work.
My accent, the way I am.’ She shrugged. ‘Works best if act like staff. Probably you could pose as a lady, though. You ’ave, in a way.
’ She looked at me sharply. Aunt Bill had always been a friendly, open person. But she was shrewd, too.
‘Why’re you posin’ as singers, anyway, maid?
’ Aunt Bill straightened her dress; her unruly grey-blond curly hair had been pinned up into a neat-ish bun and she wore a severe grey dress with a high neck.
However, even the grey and the boned corset I suspected was underneath couldn’t disguise Aunt Bill’s voluptuous figure or her joie de vivre.
‘We needed an excuse to get back into Trevarron to use the portal. Nancy – that’s Nancy Willcock, the pellar? She lives in your cottage now – she said that there was a party due, up here. We volunteered as entertainers.’
‘Goodness, maid. I can see there’s so much to catch up on.
’ Aunt Bill looked me square in the eyes, and laid both of her hands on my shoulders.
‘Now, we’ve got to go back to the party.
But we’ll need to speak, again, before you disappear through the portal.
Now you’re ’ere, you can both ’elp me with my plan. ’ Her expression darkened.
‘What plan?’ William asked.
‘I got to get Miss Violet and Lady Trevarron out of ’ere.’ Aunt Bill lowered her voice. ‘They’re in terrible danger.’